Swimmer Nguyen Huu Viet is preparing to qualify for the World Swimming Championship in Shanghai in July.

Nguyen Huu Viet.Viet is among the best Vietnamese swimmers.

Viet and his teammates are training in Kunming in the lead-up; they will also contest the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia this November.

Viet, 23, will spearhead the nation\'s challenge as he did at the Worlds in Rome two years ago when he came in 53rd among 142 competitors.

He was the first Vietnamese swimmer to qualify for a world competition.

The Hai Phong product, who broke the SEA Games record in the men\'s 100m breaststroke with a time of 1min 2.17sec in 2009, has to beat the regional record at the Malaysia Open Swimming Championship in May to qualify for the Worlds.

The World Swimming Federation recognises the Malaysia Open as the Worlds qualifiers.

Vietnam Aquatic Sports Association\'s representative Nguyen Thu Hang said: "We will create the best conditions for Viet . He faces the best in Malaysia."

At the 2005 SEA Games in the Philippines Viet won gold in the 100m breaststroke, the nation\'s first gold in the event in 32 years.

In 2008, he failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in the same event, finishing 58th of 63.